Various frying devices exist for frying food items such as whole turkeys. Known frying devices generally include a pot of a sufficient size to accommodate a whole turkey therein and a heating element for heating a volume of oil within the pot. While existing frying devices are generally suitable for what is regarded as ordinary performance, there is room for improvement in terms of safety, convenience and cost. In particular, known frying devices are somewhat expensive to operate because of the large quantity of oil required. In addition, known devices may pose various safety hazards and fire risks because of their susceptibility to splashing or spilling, especially during insertion and removal of a food item such as a turkey.